MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's chapter of Blue Key, the national senior honor society, will give high school juniors and seniors from across Kansas the chance to speak their minds at U-Speak, a political forum, Monday, March 29.

The third annual U-Speak Conference, at the K-State Student Union from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is a political forum where students will have the opportunity to express their viewpoints on current issues affecting their lives and to dialogue with peers from across Kansas in small group sessions lead by Blue Key members. The topics to be discussed are chosen by the participants through surveys conducted at K-State Scholarship Days and on the U-Speak registration form.

The conference also will feature several speakers, including Pat Bosco, K-State vice president for student life and dean of students; U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas; and John Carlin, a former Kansas governor who serves as a visiting professor and executive-in-residence at K-State.

Blue Key is looking for teens with strong opinions on current issues and events who are willing to share and dialogue with their peers, according to Tim Hadachek, senior in political science, Cuba, and Wayne Stoskopf, senior in agribusiness, Hoisington. Hadachek and Stoskopf are both Blue Key members and are co-coordinators of U-Speak.

Students interested in attending U-Speak should complete the short registration form by Friday, March 12. A $10 registration fee also is required. The registration form and more information on the conference are available online at http://www.k-state.edu/bluekey/uspeak